And, oh! Mary, what do you think is written under it?
'_Crane and Water-reeds_.' Well, I do call that a sell!" Christopher's disappointment was quite as bad.

Mother gave him a book with very nice pictures, particularly of beasts.

The chief reason she got it for him was that there was such a very good picture of a toad, and Chris is so fond of toads.

For months he made friends with one in the garden.

It used to crawl away from him, and he used to creep after it, talking to it, and then it used to half begin, to crawl up the garden wall, and stand so, on its hind legs, and let Chris rub its wrinkled back.